Originally from Michigan myself, I’m excited to share these fun Lake Michigan wedding photos from the oh-so-talented photography duo Bryan and Mae. With the help of friends and family, Kate and Zach planned their dream wedding at the lakeside Camp Blodgett. I could go on about all the sweet details, but I’ll let Kate do the rest of the talking!

From the bride: I’ve been told that once you become engaged, the wedding fever ensues. Well I got the fever alright…along with that came a slight obsession with blogs. Wedding, fashion, photography, cooking, decorating, the list of blogs goes on. Enlightening my mind, stirring my senses, and reviving my creativity, I began dreaming of what I could do in the daily grind to embark on these feelings to create my ideal wedding day. Using the many inspirations online, I envisioned a vintage, rustic dream wedding and began the daunting task of planning and coordinating my own wedding.

Kate: Although stressful at times, the overall planning process was such a joy. I loved scouring antique shops and thrift stores for my latest wedding idea and documenting this journey through my blog. Being able to unleash all my pent up creativity through the wedding details and realize how much gratification comes with crafting with one’s hands was a revelation for me. It was during our engagement that I also realized how much living in the present with Zach truly meant to me. As a very organized “type A” individual, Zach slowly taught me how to become more flexible, easy-going, and to not get wrapped up in the perfection that I wanted to create. Towards the end our our engagement, the calm that had settled upon me was refreshing. I didn’t worry about how the day would go, because at the end of it it wouldn’t matter if we forgot to do the bouquet presentation or the garter toss…we’d be married.

Kate: The moments from the wedding day that touched my heart the most were about the loved ones who were present. Seeing all of our close friends and family come from all over the world, literally… the farthest was from Bahrain, meant so much to Zach and I. Ending the night with an amazing dance with my brother, seeing how happy my parents were, and not being able to stop smiling at everyone were all special moments. But the memory that I’ll never forget, was the look Zach had on his face when I walked down the aisle. The tenderness and love his eyes spoke to me made me want to cry, but I was so elated, all I could do was grin like the Cheshire cat.

Kate: My advice for future brides is,don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially from those who have done this before or those who work in the wedding industry. One of our photographers, Mae, was such a source of knowledge and inspiration, if it wasn’t for her I would have been a lot more stressed.

Dream big and make your wedding truly special by encompassing you and your significant other’s personality within each element.

And remember “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry